Project Director

Campbell, Curtis

Department Examiner

Sakib, Shahnewaz Karim

Department

Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

The privacy paradox occurs when people claim to care about their digital privacy, but do not take actions to keep their data from being spread across the internet. This study examines college students, being primarily Generation Z, and their concerns and actions regarding digital privacy and security. A survey of 15 college students, 7 in humanities and 8 in STEM, was used to analyze their thoughts and concerns about their digital privacy. This survey also asked whether they took actions concerning their privacy, and if so, what tools they used to protect it. The results show that about 50% of students care about their privacy, and take actions in order to protect it. STEM students were most likely to show concern for their privacy than their humanities counterparts, and take actions to protect it. These findings suggest that most participants care about their data, and many take action in order to protect it. The study lays the groundwork for future research into Generation Z’s digital awareness.

IRB Number

25-213

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2026

Subject

Data protection; Information technology--Security measures; Privacy, Right of

Keyword

privacy paradox; digital privacy; digital protection; consent

Discipline

Cybersecurity

Document Type

Theses

Extent

iii, 45 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/

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Cybersecurity Commons

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